The 2013 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season kicks off February 14th through 17th with the NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in California, and Don Schumacher Racing driver Antron Brown comes into the season on the heels of winning an historic Top Fuel championship. In a recent NHRA teleconference, Brown related to everyone his version of “off-season.”
“As soon as we got back (from Pomona), basically we had Thanksgiving, came back after Thanksgiving, we broke down our car we just got done racing,” said Brown. “Got totally revamped, then went right into the enclosed cockpit where we started massaging it, I'm sitting in the car, getting everything adjusted for how I want it to feel. It's just been non-stop with brand-new safety equipment from Impact coming in. Our weeks have been full of development going forward, not just in performance but in safety also here.”
“Week in, week out, also my regular routine, three days in the gym, two days playing basketball,” continued Brown. “I've been keeping up that regimen all season so I come back in tip-top shape. Let me tell you something, when you go through the racing season where I'm not in the gym as much as I am in the off-season, you can tell when you come back. It definitely took me a few weeks to get readjusted to that again.”
Brown is preparing for a busy summer, not just with his own Top Fuel dragster, but with his son, Anson, who is getting into Jr. Dragsters. “This upcoming year I have another hobby, my son Anson is getting into junior dragsters,” said Brown. “Another couple weeks, got the enclosed trailer coming. I'm going to turn into a crew chief and watch him go down the racetrack and make the calls on his racecar.”
When asked who was sponsoring his son’s ride, Brown said, “Daddy, Inc. It's definitely going to be sponsored by me. It's all about having fun, no pressure. He loves it. He watches YouTube videos of junior dragsters all the time. The craziest part of it is that my son is a John Force fan. He would rather race a John Force Funny Car than a junior dragster. I said, they don't have a class for them. You have to race dragsters like daddy.”
Brown, who made the switch from Pro Stock Motorcycles to Top Fuel in 2008, has some new competition in Top Fuel in rookie Brittany Force, who brings John Force Racing to the dragster ranks for the first time. ‘When Brittany comes in, she's going to be on a great team,” said Brown. “Her dad is going to give her the best equipment. Dean Antonelli has tuned that racecar. They ran good in testing. When they come out, the car is going to be capable, she's going to be capable of driving it, but now she's going to have to line up against some of the fiercest racers in the business. She’s going to have a lot more work cut out for her than when I first started.”
Get ready for the 2013 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season at www.nhra.com.
Quotes in this piece provided by the NHRA.
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